Tephrostratigraphical Investigation of Lake Sediments and a Peat Bog in Northeastern China Since 20,000 Years
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HOL0010.1177/0959683616670473The HoloceneZhao et al. 670473research-article2016 Research paper The Holocene 1 –14 Tephrostratigraphical investigation of lake © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav sediments and a peat bog in Northeastern DOI: 10.1177/0959683616670473 China since 20,000 years hol.sagepub.com Hongli Zhao,1 Jiaqi Liu,2 Valerie A Hall3 and Xiaoqiang Li4 Abstract This is a detailed tephrostratigraphical investigation of late Quaternary deposits in the Longgang and Changbaishan Volcanic Fields of northeastern China. A total of 45 reference samples which were collected from either side of the Chinese/Korean border showed very similar geochemical characteristics to the Millennium eruption of Tianchi Volcano. Through comparing the published data of the glass shards detected in Gushantun with these reference samples, further description is that the glass shards in the sediment of Gushantun came from the Tianchi Volcano eruption in AD 1702, 1668, and 1597. A basaltic tephra layer found in the sediment of Hanlongwan associated with an eruption of the Jinlongdingzi Volcano which happened in 1500–2100 cal. yr BP by comparing with the published data from Sihailongwan and Xiaolongwan. Tianchi and Jinlongdingzi Volcano are both active and erupted several times during the historical period. Reference samples and the tephra layers detected in Hanlongwan, Sihailongwan, Gushantun, Erlongwan, and Xiaolongwan can be used as marker horizons beyond the Longgang Volcanic Field and Changbaishan Volcanic Field, including, for example, in Japan, Korea, nearby coastal area of Russia, and marine records. Keywords Gushantun, Hanlongwan, Quaternary, Sihailongwan, tephrochronology, tephrostratigraphy Received 25 May 2016; revised manuscript accepted 30 August 2016 Introduction Quaternary reconstructions are often hindered by poor chronolo- tephra deposits for 14C dating has been widely employed in gies (e.g. Shulmeister et al., 2004). Traditional dating methods developing the chronology of the most recent rhyolitic eruptions sometimes lack the precision required to test the spatial synchro- of the Taupo, Okataina, Maroa, and Mayor Island centers. neity of environmental and archaeological change. Tephra as a Although material carbonized during the emplacement of the chronology tool depends, of course, on knowing when the erup- tephra provides the best material for chronology, it is not always tion took place and then linking a tephra fall to a particular available. Many ages are based on organic material interbedded eruption. with the tephra in peat bogs and lakes (e.g. Lowe, 1988). Such Linking sites using geochemical tephrostratigraphy is valu- ages may not precisely reflect the time of the eruption and are able, but where this can be expanded into tephrochronology, it prone to contamination. However, peat and lake sequences do serves Quaternary studies well, especially if dating precision of provide a near-continuous depositional record that commonly sites can be improved. Volcanic ash can be dated (Cheng et al., contains multi-sourced tephra beds that allow chronologic rela- 2008; Guo and Wang, 2002), but it is much more common to date tionships to be established (e.g. Hogg et al., 1987; Lowe, 1988). the profile using, for example, varves if working on suitable lake sites or the organic material associated with the tephra layer in lake sediment or peat profile (Chu et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2009; 1State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Parplies et al., 2008). This approach needs a good understanding Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China of the potential and limits of precision for varve and radiocarbon 2Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of dating. Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China The potential of varves as a basis for dating was initially rec- 3School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s ognized by the Swedish geologist Gerard de Geer who, in 1884, University Belfast, UK made the first attempt to count and correlate varve sequences in 4Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of the Stockholm area of Sweden. Because the sediment is deposited Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of annually, varves form a basis for dating; by counting varve Sciences, China sequences, time intervals can be established. If varve series can be Corresponding author: dated by radiocarbon dating of included organic materials, then Hongli Zhao, State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, the varve-chronology can be linked to the calendar timescale. Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an Hogg et al. (1987) and Froggatt and Lowe (1990) summa- 710061, China. rized that the use of organic materials found in association with Email: [email protected] Downloaded from hol.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on October 13, 2016 2 The Holocene Figure 1. Stratigraphy of tephra layers in five lake and peat profiles. Stratigraphy of Lake SHL, Lake HLW, and peat bog GST from this study; Lake XIL from Liu et al. (2009); Lake ERL from Frank (2007). There is a great potential accuracy and precision for dating temporal marker layers which can be used to verify or corroborate tephra in the 14C range. other dating techniques. By linking sequences widely separated Annually laminated sediments of Quaternary age have been by location into a unified chronology, the tephra layers can cor- recognized at widespread geographic locations (Anderson and relate climatic sequences and events to assess major volcanism in Dean, 1988; Lamoureaux, 1999; Larsen and Stalsberg, 2004; the late Quaternary of the Changbaishan area. O’Sullivan, 1983; Overpeck, 1996; Smith et al., 2004; Zolitschka, 1996), but, until recently, only a few laminated sediment records have been found in China. Such laminated sediments are often Study area preserved in maar lakes (Zolitschka et al., 2000). Quite recently, Northeastern China and NE Korea are the regions of active several varved sequences have been recovered from the maar and volcanism because of its reasonably well-understood record of crater lakes of the Longgang Volcanic Field (LVF). These succes- Quaternary volcanism (Liu, 1999). It was also thought suitable sions provide long, detailed palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic to advance tephra studies through researching cryptotephra records with excellent temporal controls (Mingram et al., 2004a). studies in maar lake deposits. In addition, this volcanically In addition, they are located in an area that is frequently impacted active region has a population of 8.7 million people. A better by volcanic ash deposition. understanding of the chronology of the region’s volcanic his- The tephra layer is widely distributed in Northeastern China, tory would benefit this community through volcanic risk Japan, North Korea, and part of Russia. Guo et al. (2005) pointed assessment. out that Tianchi tephra was found in the sediment of Sihailongwan The modern climate of Northeastern China is controlled by the (SHL) and that probably shows that the products erupted from East Asian monsoonal system which shows a strong seasonal Tianchi Volcano in AD 1199–1200 reached the LVF. A tephra layer variability. Winter seasons are very cold and dry with dominating 4–6 cm thick in the islands of north Japan has also been recognized north-westerly wind directions contributing a substantial amount as coming from the Millennium eruption of Tianchi Volcano of aeolian material from the interior of the Eurasian land mass, (Machida, 1999; Machida and Arai, 1992). One tephra layer origi- including to SHL sediments (Chu et al., 2005). Summers are nating from Tianchi Millennium eruption is found on the east side warm and dominated by humid air masses transported by south- of Kutcharo caldera, in the coastal areas of eastern Hokkaido, in easterly winds from the Pacific. the tsunami sediments at Asahidake volcano in the middle of Hok- Changbaishan and Longgang are two volcanic fields in the kaido, and in the area of Tyatya volcano in the southwestern Kuril Changbaishan area, Northeastern China (Figure 2). The Chang- Island Arc (Sun et al., 2014b). Sun et al. (2014a) reported that the baishan Volcanic Field (CVF) crosses the boundary between ash from Changbaishan Millennium eruption was recorded in China and Korea. It is located at 41–42.5° latitude north and Greenland ice cores. 127–129° longitude east. In the CVF, the Tianchi Volcano is In this paper, we use the detailed analysis from reference sam- one of the largest, most active, and dangerous volcanoes in the ples of Tianchi Volcano and sites Hanlongwan (HLW), Sihailong- world (Liu, 1999). It consists of hundreds of volcanic cones, wan (SHL), and Gushantun (GST) age–depth model, and dating reaches a height of 2755 m a.s.l., and comprises about 12 × 103 carbon-based material found in association with the volcanic ash, km2 of volcanic rock. Documentary evidence records that the along with accurate historical records for the eruptions, produces Tianchi Volcano erupted many times during the past 1000 dates for the tephra layers the site contains. There were three years. A huge eruption occurred in AD 1199–1200 (Cui et al., tephra layers and sub-layers detected in the sediment of SHL 2000). During that time, huge amounts of gray-white panteller- (Zhao and Hall, 2015); one tephra layer was found in HLW (this itic tephra widely distributed thick layers some 50 km from